it couldn't/can't hurt

idiom

used to mean that doing something would not be harmful and might even be helpful
"Should I ask her for a job?" " It couldn't/can't hurt (to ask)."

Examples of it couldn't/can't hurt in a Sentence

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Optimism needs its champions, and making popular art celebrating it can't hurt. Angela Watercutter, Wired, 13 Aug. 2021

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Cite this Entry

“It couldn't/can't hurt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/it%20couldn%27t%2Fcan%27t%20hurt. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.

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